By IANS,
Kolkata : Denying that she was trying to run a parallel administration in West Bengal for cyclone relief work, Union Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee has claimed she has always taken the government into confidence before initiating any action.
“Whatever I have done, I have done after taking the administration into confidence. I have done nothing wrong. My only objective was to save the people suffering due to the cyclone,” Banerjee, head of the state’s main opposition Trinamool Congress, said in an interview to Bengali television news channel Star Ananda Sunday night.
On alliance partner Congress participating in the all-party talks on Aila Sunday despite her party boycotting it, Banerjee said the party might have viewed the issue from an all-India perspective.
“We are two different parties. They will take their own decisions. We will take our own decisions,” she said.
So far, the government has confirmed 137 deaths due to Cyclone Aila, which wreaked havoc in 13 of the 19 districts of the state May 25.
After having decimated the Left Front in the Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee has been pro-active since the Aila devastation by arranging for shipment of relief materials from the centre.
She has been criticising the state government for its alleged inability to tackle the calamity.
During the interview, Banerjee also alleged that the Left Front was indulging in post poll violence.
“They have killed 22 of our party activists since the polls results were announced. It seems the CPI-M is not being able to stomach its defeat.”
The minister also took questions from viewers, many of whom wanted jobs in the railways.
“How many jobs can I give in one department? It is the duty of the state government. They have not done anything for the state,” she responded.
Banerjee said at this moment large-scale jobs cannot be given as recruitment was virtually closed.
“But I know people have expectations. We have to build more infrastructure. Only then can we give more jobs,” she added.